Heading to Disney tomorrow!! Driving from Philly

[silver8ack]

Ok, so I'm actually driving from South Jersey, so don't kill me I'm looking for some tips and tricks for driving down. I've done it before, but it was totally unplanned(got grounded due to sick kid... so we DROVE)

I have a hotel reservation in Smithfield, NC. This puts me about 400 miles into the trip, with about 600 left for the second leg of the trip.

I have to work tomorrow, so I plan on leaving between 5-6PM. We will drive for a bit 1-1.5 hours... depending on traffic. Then we'll stop and get some dinner...doesn't have to be quick because I want the kids (5 & 2) to get tired. Plus... i want to DELAY hitting DC until around 8 or so.

I don't want to get to the hotel in NC too late because I don't want to be extra tired... and i want to try to get a decent amount of sleep. I also don't want to wait too long before heading out the next morning.

So... I'm not sure if I have any questions. Just wondering if anyone has tips or you just want to tell me I'm mental. Maybe any advice on 95 vs 295, etc. Google maps seems to switch the road depending on the time of day.

The timeframes aren't set in stone, but given that I want to try to get 5-6 hours of sleep and arrive in DISNEY before dinner on Saturday.... this is what I'm working with.

Thanks for any advice or anything!

 

[amcnj]

From what I recall others saying in the past, your decision to avoid the DC area till after 8 pm is a wise one.

I am a little over an hour from the DE Memorial Bridge and have found the driving time to the Orlando area to be around 16 hours, of course depending on stops, traffic,weather, etc. But I leave early AM so may have less traffic effects than you may experience. That is taking 95.

Hope you have a safe trip, and smooth sailing!

 

[ncc1701]

We are also South Jersey natives living in the Cherry Hill area 15 minutes from I295. For us depending on traffic 1 hour will get us to just past Newark, DE or into Maryland north of Baltimore. They have signs about 2 miles before the exits with restaurants names. Should at least run into a couple of Applebees
By the time you finish dinner unless there is construction I would go with I-95 vs 295 in the DC area. Just find the Washington version of KYW 1060 so you can check traffic in case of something unexpected.

 

[firegurl]

Ok, so I'm actually driving from South Jersey, so don't kill me I'm looking for some tips and tricks for driving down. I've done it before, but it was totally unplanned(got grounded due to sick kid... so we DROVE)

I have a hotel reservation in Smithfield, NC. This puts me about 400 miles into the trip, with about 600 left for the second leg of the trip.

I have to work tomorrow, so I plan on leaving between 5-6PM. We will drive for a bit 1-1.5 hours... depending on traffic. Then we'll stop and get some dinner...doesn't have to be quick because I want the kids (5 & 2) to get tired. Plus... i want to DELAY hitting DC until around 8 or so.

I don't want to get to the hotel in NC too late because I don't want to be extra tired... and i want to try to get a decent amount of sleep. I also don't want to wait too long before heading out the next morning.

So... I'm not sure if I have any questions. Just wondering if anyone has tips or you just want to tell me I'm mental. Maybe any advice on 95 vs 295, etc. Google maps seems to switch the road depending on the time of day.

The timeframes aren't set in stone, but given that I want to try to get 5-6 hours of sleep and arrive in DISNEY before dinner on Saturday.... this is what I'm working with.

Thanks for any advice or anything!

OP-I live about an 1 1/2 into your trip. There are tons of great places to eat. If you want to wear the kids out a bit, I suggest stopping at the Wegman's off exit 77. It's Friday night so it will be a little crowded but not too bad. Go in the Cafe side, they have plenty of seating and hot bars with just about everything you could imagine. They also have a sub station, pizza, salad bar, sushi...
My DS is 6 and its one of his favorite places. After you eat, you can always walk around a bit. The store is really interesting, my DS loves watching the train.
From a few trips we have made to Mt Laurel, I know it is exactly an hour and a half to my front door so that location is almost exact to what you were looking for. Feel free to PM me if you are in the area and looking for something specific.

 

[firegurl]

Oops, I should have said exit 77 off of 95. At 1 1/2, I am assuming you are coming down 95.